Natalie Star is one of the highest profiled cam stars on the net. The Fleshlight CamStar model has appeared in Playboy, and her insights and business savvy have been featured prominently across adult industry media. Star has also been recruiting and mentoring models since 2010 – and models who work with her are becoming some of today’s top earners. Natalie Star stopped by YNOT Cam to share some tips for career success.
Camming is a job just like any other. You have to show up to get paid. The difference though is that the only person you’re accountable to is yourself.
9 to 5 is a grind, we all know that. Long days, tight schedules, and little to no personal time can turn even the most interesting job into torture. One of the best perks of camming is being your own boss. You get to toss all that punch in/punch out, sitting in traffic stuff to the birds and become the master of your own workplace and schedule.
But there are two sides to every coin, and sometimes what seems like something’s greatest asset can also be its worst attribute – if you don’t know how to handle it correctly. Such is the case with being your own boss and managing your own schedule.
When you work a 9 to 5, or any sort of pre-set “day job,” you are expected to arrive at a certain time, stay for a certain number of hours, and accomplish a set of tasks. And someone or something is there to hold you accountable. But when you’re camming, the only person holding you accountable is… you.
According to Natalie Star, making the most of your time online is very important. You have to be consistent and focused on accomplishing workplace cam tasks, just like you would in any other job. And one key cam task is treating your time online like a job – because it is – and being accountable for showing up.
“The difference between models who are able to do this for a living and models who have to hop from site to site to make ends meet is based a lot on work ethic,” Star told YNOT Cam. “First and foremost, are you doing your job? Are you actually [on cam]?”
Part of doing your job properly is logging the hours online and being present while you’re there. But this can be challenging. Life gets in the way – you schedule an appointment, there’s something fun to do in the outside world during a time you really should be online. There are a million reasons not to log on, but just like you couldn’t randomly schedule a nail appointment at 10 am on a Tuesday if you worked in a dental office, you should work to establish a fairly set “cam time only” schedule. (Knowing of course that you can always adjust your schedule if need be – don’t forget one of the reasons camming is so awesome in the first place: Flexibility.)
One way to make cam work like a day job is to treat it like a day job. Establish a schedule, set your hours, and acknowledge that, even though you may be in your home, cam time is not personal time. You need let people know that you’re there for them – that’s part of your job! Catching up on Game of Thrones and OITNB isn’t.
“For as many successful webcam models as I’ve had over the years, there’s also been just as many unsuccessful models – this is because many models believe that when you apply for a webcam modeling job all you have to do is log on, and people will throw money at you,” Star explained. “Though there are those rare exceptions, in general, ‘throwing money’ for no work couldn’t be further from the truth.”
In general, in the 9 to 5 world, there are consequences for missing work. Namely, you get paid less. When a cam model misses work by not putting in the hours, it’s exactly the same thing. Only when we’re talking camming, the money loss is less obvious. Rather than less hours on your check, you have no idea what could have happened during those times when you weren’t online. This great unknown is one of the most thrilling (and occasionally frustrating!) things about being a webcam model. And your willingness to take that sort of gamble is part of the reason why camming can be so financially rewarding.
According to Star, learning to work for yourself plays a huge factor in whether or not you will succeed at your webcam modeling job. She suggests working a minimum of four hours straight each time you log on. After you get that down, add an hour and work a minimum of five hours a day each time you log on. Keep increasing the number of hours, and before you know it, you will be able to log 40 (or more!) hours fairly easily.
The days will vary. Some days will be slow, others will be busy – the trick, according to Star, is to not look at how much your webcam job makes you a day. Focus instead on how much you make a pay period. Use the slow days to work on how you work it. Be extra personable, extend yourself, and get to know your customers.
“Webcam modeling jobs have become more lucrative then ever before – this is why more and more people, from girls next door to lawyers to porn stars, are doing it,” Star explained. “But you have to show up to get the spoils.”
Visit Natalie Star on Twitter at @NatalieStarLive.
